President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his administration’s secretary of state in the coming days, according to three sources familiar with the selection process.
Trump could still change his mind, the sources warned, stressing that the decision would not be finalized until the president-elect makes a formal announcement.
The New York Times was first to report that Trump was considering nominating Rubio as the nation’s top diplomat.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where there is deep philosophical disagreement among Trump’s base.
One of Trump’s main arguments during the campaign was that he would implement “America First” policies, a doctrine that emphasizes less foreign aid, trying to reduce the involvement of United States in current foreign conflicts and avoiding future ones. But even among Trump’s most prominent supporters, foreign policy thinking remains different.
Even though Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is an avowed Trump supporter, the perception is that he was one of the “less MAGA” options, as a Trump ally told NBC News. It’s a position that requires sufficiently appealing to Trump’s more isolationist political base, but also providing grist for a less disruptive foreign policy that Trump supporters generally oppose.
Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was seen as a potential pick who could sufficiently appeal to Trump’s political base without unnecessarily eroding relations with foreign allies.
The Trump ally said Rubio was someone “the Trump base could trust.”
Donald Trump has pledged to take action on various issues on his first day in office.
“While Marco is a little more hawkish than the new president and vice president, he’s actually not as far removed from them as many people might think at first glance,” another Trump ally said . “He has aligned himself much more closely with the president on issues regarding tariffs. He has a similar position on the China issue and even voted against the latest funding for Ukraine.”
A current senior administration official told NBC News that Rubio would be a “serious” and “qualified” choice. The person said Rubio’s choice would be a relief given that Ric Grenell, the highly controversial ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, was also on the list. Several career diplomats said they feared the State Department would become politicized if Grenell was appointed.
Under the last Trump administration, the number of diplomats in senior positions at the State Department fell, first through voluntary departures shortly after his election and then through attrition as authority for their positions was redirected to individuals appointed by politicians.
Trump had considered Rubio as a vice presidential candidate before ultimately choosing Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.
If Rubio becomes secretary of state, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could choose a replacement. This choice would serve at least until 2026, when an election would be held for the seat.
Trump has made a series of other personnel announcements in recent days. On Monday, he announced plans to nominate former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., as lead administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and to name Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as national security adviser.
Last week, he announced that Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, would be White House chief of staff. On Sunday, he named Tom Homan, an immigration hardliner, as his “border czar.”
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